Truck.



uw.. E V 0 0 H L A.

TRUCK.

APPLIOATIDN FILED MAR. 1o. 1909.

Patented Jan. 17, i911.

the tongue in section.

ARTHUR L. HOOVER, OF AVERY, OHIO.

TRUCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 17, 1911.

Application tiled March 10, 1909. Serial No. 482,618.

To all i/:zom it may concern:

lle it known that i. Aurina: li. lloovi-zn, a citizen ot' the tnit'ed States ot America, residing at Avery, in the county ot ,llrie and b'tate otc Ohio. hare. invented certain new and usei'ul Improvements in Trucks; and l hereby declare the tollowing to be a. iull` clear. and exact description oi the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art. to which it pertainsl to make and use. the saine.

'lhis invention relates to trucks and particularly to the mechanism for turning the wheels ot a truck relative to the truck trame so that a short or quick turn can be made.

The object of the invention is the provision ot a truck and of a wheel turning mechanism which is simple. in construction and which will permit' the vehicle, or machine connected to the. truck to be. readily turned in a very small space.

Although my improved truck and wheel turning mechanism is not limited to any special use or for drawing any special kind of machine or vehicle= it is particularly adapted for use in connection with such machinesas large farming or harvesting implements which are drawn back and forth over the ground or field.

r1`he invention may be briefly sunnnarizcd as consisting in certain novel combinations and arrangementsl ot parts which will be described in the specilication and set forth in the appended claims.

In' the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a plan view ot' a truck and wheel turning mechanism constructed in accordance with my invention and showing portions of the tongue and of the draw or coupling bar which is connected to the truck at its forward end and is designed to be secured to the mehine or vehicle to be drawn. Fig. 2 shows the same in a front elevation with 3 shows the arrangement of the parts when the truck is turned through an angle of forty-five degrees from normal position.

Referring now to the figures of the drawing, 10 represents as a whole the truck which is provided with a frame 11 in the form of a yoke which carries in a manner to be described wheels 12 and has rigidly secured to its central portion the tongue 13. Pivotally or loosely connected 'to the truck, in this case to the rear end of the tongue 13, is a draw or coupling bar or beam lei which may extend to the rear truck of a vehicle or mai' be attached to any kind oi a machine which is designed to be. drawn along the ground. ln the present case. the bar 1l is eonnecl'ml to a truck by means oi a clevis 15 on the forward end of the bar and by a suitable hook or eye 1G on the rea r end ot' the tongue.

The frame 11 may be of any suit-able construction as long as it answers the necessary requirements-` but in the present case. is formed of a bar which is provided at the center with a short. horizontal portion 11 to which the tongue 13 is securedl with portions 11" inclined downwardly and outwardly from the central portion l1a and with downwardly projecting end portions 11" which support the wheels 12 by means now to be described.

The wheels are mounted upon short studs or axles 17 each ot which is carried by and is preferably rigidly secured, at, its inner end, to the lower end ot an elbow-shaped lever or arm 1S having a downwardly extending portion 18a which carries the stud 17 and is supported in a manner such that it can rotate or turn but. not move longitudinally, in a suitable strap or bearing member 10 carried by the corresponding end 11`- of the yoke or truck frame 11. The arm 18 is also provided atits upper end wit-h a portion 18b which is at right-angles to the portion 1S, and when the truck is in its normal position, is horizontal and extends inwardly and forwardly as is shown clearly in the drawing. Thus it, will be seen that when the arms 18a are turned in their bearings 19, 'the wheels 12 will be turned with respect. to the truck frame.

Secured to the draw or coupling bar 14:, a short distance from the forward end there of, is a cross bar 20 which is secured to said bar preferably by means of flanges 20a which extend upwardly on opposite sides of the draw bar 14and by means of a cross pin or bolt 21 which extends through the draw bar and through the flanges 20% In order that the wheels 12 may be turned with respect to the truck when the latter is turned with respect to the draw bar 14, the outer ends of the cross bar 20 are connected by means of links 22 to the free ends of the portions 18b of the two elbow arms or levers 18 respectively, the ends of the elbow arms or levers 18 being flattened, and the links l i i t l i being pivotally connected to the ends of the cross bar and to the ends of the elbow levers by pins or bolts 23.

The purpose and functions of the parts described will now be explained. lVhen the truck is drawing the machine or vehicle to which the bar 14 is connected, straight ahead, the wheels will occupy a position such that they are at right-angles to the truck traine. If, however, the truck is turned with respect to the draw bar 1% in one direction or the other, the links 22 will cause the elbow arms or levers 18 to be turned in their bearings so as to turn the wheels faster or through a greater angle than the truck is turned but in the salue direction that the truck is turned. It will be obvious that the angle through which the wheels are turned with respect to the truck will depend upon the proportions of the parts of t-he wheel turning mechanism, and more particularly to the effective lengths of the portions 18 of the elbow arms or levers 18. I prefer to proportion the parts so that the wheels will be turned through an angle twice as great as the angle through which the truck is turned, although of course this may be varied to suit the requirements.

VVha-t I claim is,-

l. In a device of the character described a frame having a. vertically arranged journal at each end thereof, a pair of elbowshaped levers, each lever having one leg extending down into one of said journals and the other extending inwardly7 over said frame, ground wheels arranged 011 studs on the lower ends of the downwardly extending legs of said levers, a draw bar pivotally connected to said frame and adapted to be attached to the vehicle to be drawn along ends of the cross bar and to the ends of the inwardlilv extending leg portions of said levers and a. tongue rigidly secured to said frame.

2. In a device of the character described the combination of a. frame in the shape of a yoke, a tongue rigidly secured to the iniddle ol said yoke, verticalhv arranged `iournals mounted on the outer sides of the downwardly extending portions of the yoke, a pair of elbow-levers, each lever having one leg extending down into one of said journals and the other leg extending,inwardlyv over said frame, outwardly extending studs carried by the lower ends of the down Yardly extending legs of. said levers, ground wheels journaled on said studs, a. draw bar pivotallx7 connected to the frame, a cross bar rigidly secured to said draw bar and extending beyond opposite sides thereof and a pair of links pivotalliv connected to the ends of said cross bar and to the inner ends of the inwardl)v extending legs of said levers, the arrangement being such that when the tongue and the frame is turned through a. certain angle the wheels will turn in the same direction through a greater angle..

In testimony whereof, I sign the foregoing specication, in the presence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR L. HOOVER.

' ll'vitnesses VICTOR C. LYNCH, N. L; MoDoNNELL. 

